As teachers commemorated International Teachers Day in Uganda on Thursday, Hassan Tourabi Primary School in Wakiso district was appealing to the Government through the education ministry for more sign language interpreters.

The interpreters are meant for special needs pupils, especially in candidate classes.

The public school has since 2003 had a special needs education unit but has been struggling with only three teachers to teach diverse learners' needs, especially the deaf, hard of hearing, low vision, down syndrome, dyslexic learners and physically impaired pupils.

According to Amina Nabukenya, the director of studies, they have already notified the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) seeking assistance for more special needs teachers to help in examining pupils who can neither read nor write.

“We have four candidates in Primary Seven (P.7) but three of them are deaf while one can neither read nor write. So, we are not sure how those shall perform at the end without special instructors,” Nabukenya said.

Nabukenya made the call while giving a speech at the special visit of Kyambogo University Department of Visual Communication and Multimedia during the celebration of International Teachers Day at Tourabi School in Bweyogerere ward, Kira municipality in Wakiso district.

Headteacher Safina Nakiwala regretted that most teachers in her school lack the necessary training and capacity to support learners with diverse needs including those with disabilities and language difficulties.

Currently, the school has 62 learners pursuing special needs education, but the four teachers tasked with handling the job lack the required skills using adaptive technological devices that were provided by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in conjunction with the education ministry.

Joshua Ochen a P7 candidate interpreting sign language to the deaf pupils with his teacher Odwarat Jacob Isaac at Hassan Tourabi Primary School Bweyogerere. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

"By providing adaptive technological devices, the ministry empowered learners with learning disabilities to actively participate in their education and overcome some barriers," Nakiwala said.

“The school would wish to employ sign language interpreters, but the resources cannot permit us and that’s why we need the Government to intervene and arrest the situation,” she added.

According to her, the school is grateful to Dr Mahmoud El-Gazaar, the Director of Kibuli Muslim Hospital, for donating six sewing machines to the school as a way of equipping learners with special learning needs and self-reliant skills.

“However, there is a need for an instructor to handle the tailoring project as well as adding on the number of machines and other vocational projects to cater for a wide range of learner’s needs,” Nakiwala said.

"We need interpreters to link the deaf children and the ordinary children in terms of communication which is lacking because of few staff," she added.

Kyambogo University lecturers donate to special needs class

The Department of Visual Communication at Kyambogo University headed by Dr Patrick Sserunjogi came up with visual materials to modify the school's physical environment, among which included creating inclusive posters and displaying them in the compound.

Sserunjogi, while at the handover, said the posters bear information that depicts inclusiveness in the school with the special needs pupils as the first priority.

The school is a peri-urban public primary school serving Buto, Bweyogerere, Seeta-Namanve communities and beyond and it was started in 1984 as a Muslim Community School under the Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly.

Kyambogo’s visit comes when the School of Art and Industrial Design in collaboration with Pan Afrikan Design Institute celebrates 2023 Afrika Design Day, with a week of engagements ending on Friday.